Detained pastor case casting large shadow over Turkish-US ties
Complex criminal cases with political overtones makes the case of the American pastor Andrew Brunson more difficult to resolve than it might have been otherwise.
The recent refusal by a Turkish court to release Andrew Brunson, an American pastor imprisoned in Turkey since October 2016 on multiple terrorism charges, is casting yet another dark shadow over US-Turkish relations already marred by mutual resentment over a number of differences. The problem with the Brunson case involves its complicated political-legal backdrop and two radically different judicial systems. Also influencing thinking on the Brunson case are a number of additional US-Turkish legal entanglements concerning criminal cases with political overtones.
The indictment against Brunson accuses him of being a sympathizer of the Gulenist movement, headed by Fethullah Gulen, the self-exiled Turkish preacher living in Pennsylvania whom Ankara says masterminded the failed coup in July 2016. Turkey’s ongoing demand for Gulen’s extradition has emerged as the main political issue complicating the Brunson case. Brunson is also accused of being a sympathizer of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
